Olympic champ for Kawana kayaking

The event has been added to support the development of the sport, in readiness for its inclusion for the first time at the Paralympic Games, in London in 2012.

The paracanoeists and kayakers will be joining the big guns of kayaking, including Beijing gold medallist Ken Wallace and some of the sport's best. They will race down Lake Kawana as they prepare for the Oceania championships and national championships in March.

A number of events will be contested over the weekend, with the K1 1000 events starting proceedings this morning at 8 o'clock.

The long-distance events, including 2500m and 5000m races, will wrap up today's racing.

Tomorrow's schedule includes the shorter races, with the 500m and 200m sprints expected to provide a thrilling finish to the championships.